Product review: Lelec 7" Car GPS Navigation

As I write this review I have been using Lelec GPS for three weeks. It has many weaknesses (details below) and one key strength (the maps and the navigation itself). As I used it I found a way to solve the problem with the poor screen visibility in the sun which raised my overall experience to good. Note: the seller offers two products in this listing, I am reviewing the one without the rear camera.



As a background for this review I am a very experienced GPS user. We purchased our first GPS in 1999 and between my husband and I had chance to use a large number GPS units over the last 16 years. How does this GPS stack up? It is NOT the best navigation system out there, but it has several features that I do like. I hope the pluses and minuses I describe will help you in your decision of this GPS unit is a good match for your needs.



The best feature of this GPS unit are the good maps (provided by TomTom and dated June 2014). The weakest points are the user interface, which is uses the old technology for resistive touch screen and the screen visibility in the sun. The unit also includes several very outdated and primitive apps which decrease the overall impression of the unit, but they are optional so one can just ignore them.



THINGS I LIKE:

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1. The maps are fairly current (June 2014). The display shows 3-D like rending of the turns which helps to orient yourself in a complex intersections.



2. A 7" screen is large and easy to see even for someone with imperfect vision. The screen looks washed in the sun, good in the shade, and is superb during the night. My video shows the display as we drive under different conditions. I found a work around for the poor screen visibility in the sun by changing where I mount the screen. Instead of using the mount that comes with the GPS I mounted it using a Command hook and "TABI-Stretch it on!" mount over the screen of my car's built-in GPS. The maps on the built-in GPS are now out of date and TomTom maps are significantly better. Mounting GPS in this position puts the screen in the shade, gives me a great angle and does not block visibility out of the window (but does block the car's radio as well the old GPS screen). At the end of the video I have several shots of how Lelec GPS is mounted in my car.



3. The navigation system does not require cell coverage. Our favorite navigation system at this time is Google Navigation but it requires cell coverage, which means it does not work in some rural areas where we like to travel on weekend. There is no such restriction using Lelec system. Google navigation has a street view which allows you to see the actual street and buildings this feature is not available through TomTom maps used by Lelec.



4. The speaker is good. It has a good volume level and has a large selection of male and female voices to choose from. All of them sound natural, not like a robot. I include voice directions in my video with the volume set to MAX.



5. Destination can be saved to "Favorites". It is easy to do with just a few keystrokes (my video clip includes an example).



6. You can change units from metric (default) to miles. By default the GPS is set to metric measures.



THINGS I DO NOT LIKE:

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1. The touch screen uses the old resistive touch technology, where you need to press the screen very hard. If you are used to touch screens on the smart phone this type of the touch screen feels unresponsive.

On the positive side this touch screen user interface is easier to use than a joystick interface, you can enter destination by typing on the keyboard keyboard when entering destinations.



2. The screen is hard to see in the sun. The image looks very washed out and it is hard to read labels. The screen looks much better in the shade or in the dark. I was able to solve this by moving the GPS below the dashboard, but this may not work for some people as it covers the radio.



3. Screen does not rotate, you need to mount one specific way



4. Amazon description says the US maps are current as of 2015. The software says the maps are current as of June 2014.



5. There an option for traffic notification, however when we ran Google Navigation and Lelec at the same time Google was generating traffic warnings and Lelec did not. The overall result was that Lelec route took longer than Google route. In general, Google Navigation calculations of our arrival time were more accurate over a number of different trips we did with both GPS doing the routing.



6. In the navigation software there is information on how to get updates. When I went to that web site I had to enter the brand name of the GPS and Lelec did not match any of the devices for which I could get updates.

To see the web site where you can get updates: Show map - Destination - More - Updates and extras. When I contacted the vendor he told me that updates can be obtained by calling the Chinese company that manufactured the GPS. So I am not counting on getting updates.



7. In addition to the Navigation app this unit has a sreen full of other apps. All of them are very primitive and fall short of expectations for anyone who used similar apps on a smart phone. I don't plan on using them.



The strongest feature of this GPS is the map and the navigation. This is the most important part of the product, so even though it has a number of short comings this is a reasonable option for a GPS system if travel in areas without cell coverage or don't have a cell phone that can do Google navigation.



You can find it on Amazon by following this link.





AshopZones review ★★★★☆

Product review: Koram Multi-function 9.6" LED Clock Countdown Timer

This clock is 9" wide, 3.25" tall and 2.125" thick. Each number is 2.125" tall and each line in number is 0.25" thick. It can be seen from a distance even by someone without perfect vision. The clock takes a back up battery, which saves the time when the clock loses power. The back up battery is a button cell battery (CR2032) which is included.



On the negative side, the instructions are not very clear and it takes some experimenting to figure out how set the clock. One thing that makes documentation confusing is that the documentation describes three different clocks referring them as "first generation", "second generation" and "third generation". I was not sure what I had but since the description of the third generation was the only one that reference the remote control and my clock has a remote control I figured that's what I have.



One thing that really helped me is to figure out how to reset the clock (as my first attempt was wrong). You can reset the clock by pushing a pin into a reset hole in the back. This lets you start over.



When documentation says "turn key "5" to TESET", they refer to the slide control and position labelled "T-SET". In T-set position you can set the time my pressing up or down buttons to set hours, minutes and seconds and use mode button to advance to the next setting.



To set the count down you need to click "mode" button when the slide control is in the "normal". This will allow you to set the count down time which starts with hours, then minutes, then seconds. When you set the duration and hit mode button again the display will display "CD __". If you hit up button it will turn the count down on (down turns the count down off) and then display changes to "CD ON". The final step is to hit the Snooze button, which starts the count down. Note that when the time goes down to zero the clock does not make any sound. I would have liked it to beep to let me know that the time expired.



Snooze button has many functions not just Snooze. In addition to starting the count down, if you touch Snooze while the clock is displayed time of the day it will change to show the temperature reading and then the date. The temperature is shown in Celsius and the date is shown in the European format. I have not found a way to change the temperature or date format.



The remote controls allows to change all settings by using the remote control rather than the buttons on the back of the clock. It is slightly more convenient because you can see the clock face while making the changes. The remote runs on two AAA batteries, which are not included.



Overall, nice big display, but the interface to various functions is not intuitive and not well documented.

You can find it on Amazon by following this link.





AshopZones review ★★★★☆

Product review: Letouch® Bossa 1350mAh Ultra Slim Power Bank

LeTouch 1350 mAh external battery is super slim - the thinnest battery I own and it weights only 1.5 oz. It comes with a short (1") built-in cable and it chargers my phone at a good clip (8% in 10 minutes). I run this the same test on all external batteries with built-on cable (since I cannot use a current monitor on these cables). I run the test with phone battery at the same level running the same apps so I can compare different batteries to each other and it compares well with the other batteries running the same test. Its capacity is only 1350 mAh and some of it wasted towards heat, so it does not have enough capacity to fully charge my phone with extended battery. So for the phone it is just a quick emergency boost when the phone needs it. However it works very well with my MP3 player which is less power hungry and when I have it along on my exercise walks I want a battery that it very small and light and LeTouch works very well.



I am able to fully recharge a totally discharged LeTouch in less than 2 hours. It comes with a short (2.5") charging micro USB cable, but it works with any standard cable too.



The only negative I can say about this battery that it does not have a charge level indicator, so I am not able to tell when I am about to run out of juice.



When you don't need a power house charger and weight/size matters this battery is just the right thing.



You can find it on Amazon by following this link.







AshopZones review ★★★★☆

Product review: Le Touch 3200mAh Ultra Slim External Battery Bank

LeTouch 3250 mAh external battery is super slim and it weights only 3.5 oz. It comes with a short (3.5") built-in cable and it chargers my phone at a good clip (9% in 10 minutes). I run this the same test on all external batteries with built-on cable (since I cannot use a current monitor on these cables). I run the test with phone battery at the same level running the same apps so I can compare different batteries to each other and it compares well with the other batteries running the same test. Its capacity is only 3200 mAh and some of it wasted towards heat, but it is just enough to fully charge my phone with a large battery. It also works very well with my MP3 player. When I have it along on my exercise walks I want a battery that it very small and light and LeTouch works very well.



This battery has a charge level indicator (some slim batteries like Le Touch 1350mAh give up this feature) but to me a charge level indicator is very helpful so I have an idea that the battery is about to run out of juice, so I am glad that Le Touch 3500mAh has it.



When you don't need a power house charger and weight/size matters this battery is just the right thing.



You can find it on Amazon by following this link.







AshopZones review ★★★★★

Product review: Rz Guanqin Men Automatic Mechanical Watch

Guanqin watch is a mechanical watch. At the time when I am writing this review the watch is just under $80. Despite the price is looks quite elegant and works well. This watch does not need winding, it auto winds just from the action of the hand. My husband has been wearing for the last two weeks and have not need to wind it. He really likes the looks and the function of the watch.



There is one big gotcha with this watch. The manual covers several watches but the watch that looks most like this one has incorrect information on how to adjust the day of the week and the day of the month (the manual talks about 2 positions of the crown while the crown on this watch has only one position). To adjust these two settings on this watch you need a tool! A small screwdriver works best. I captured how it works in the attached video, you need to poke the indented controls on the side of the watch.



What is really nice is that the package includes a tool that can be used to remove links from the band, no need to take the watch to the watch maker. The wrist band is 8". My husband has a fairly slim wrist and we had to take out 3 links for a perfect fit. The tool worked perfectly and I show this process in the attached video.



The case and the band are made out of stainless steel. The watch weighs 5.3 oz. It is water resistant to rain and splashing, but cannot be submerged under water.



Overall, this is a very attractive classy looking watch. Given the price of many mechanical watches this watch is a good deal. My husband has been wearing it for 2 weeks checking its accuracy against his smart phone - it keeps accurate time. The only negative thing I can say is that needing a tool to adjust the day of the week and the day of the months is not a user friendly interface. Since this is mechanical watch the days of the month need to be adjusted every other month.



The watch comes in attractive box with a pillow and the package also included a gift bag, so this watch works well for gift giving.



You can find it on Amazon by following this link.







AshopZones review ★★★★★

Product review: Solar LED Lights by Linkertech Waterproof

I got a pair of lights. One of them stayed on only for a few minutes after a full day of charging initially and a week later did not turn on at all. The other one stays on for about 3 hours (by 11 pm it is off). Both are very dim, they light only a tiny area right around the light. The stock photo makes them appear much brighter than they are in real life. Are the lights decorative given that they do not produce much light? No. The lights do not look as nice in person as they do in the stock photo. The plastic has a cheap look and they do not look nice when it is light outside.



I took several pictures (setting the camera to manual mode so the camera does not try to compensate for the darkness). I also measured the light it generates with a lux meter (which measures intensity of the light) for an unbiased measurement in addition to my perception of the light level.



This light produces 172 lux when the meter is placed right next to this solar light.

This light produces 10.3 lux when the meter is placed 12" away from this light.

For comparison a 60 watt fluorescent bulb at the same distance of 12" produces a reading of 1110 lux.



The light is 4.5" (tall) and 3.5" (wide), it extends 2" from the wall.



The light is photo sensitive (i.e. it turns on when it is dark). Inside the cap there is an on/off switch to preserve the battery during shipping. There is no label which shows the on/off position. On position is when the switch is pushed towards the narrow side of panel.



These lights were a disappointment.





You can find it on Amazon by following this link.





AshopZones review ★☆☆☆☆

Product review: DUXTOP UltraThin Full Glass Top Touch Induction Cooktop

The best thing about this cooktop for me is that it keeps a steady temperature, this makes it much easier to cook some thing without worrying about burning. When searing steaks or making fried chicken the results come out better than using a conventional stove.



A ran a couple of experiments to help me see if the cooktop temperature is accurate and if it in fact holds the temperature at the point I set.



The temperature can be set in increments of 10, so to keep it just below boiling I set it to 200. I let it heat water for 12 minutes while measuring the water with a temperature probe (calibrated to be accurate within 2 degrees). The cooktop kept the temperature between 192 degrees and 183 degrees. This result was consistent on several tries. So even though there was a difference between the temperature the cooktop held and the specified goal temperature the there is difference between the two was consistent I can adjust for the difference (I use 10 degrees). I guess it is like learning a new oven they are all slightly different.



The second thing I measured is how it compares to my gas stove. I used the high powered gas burner and cooktop at its maximum setting (level of 10 and goal of 460 degrees). I used 1 cup of cold water and the same cast iron pan. The cooktop took 1 minute 50 seconds to bring it to boil. The gas stove took 2 minute 25 seconds before the water began boiling.



Another interesting difference was the distribution of heat. The cooktop began boiling in the center and then spread outwards (but still showed a hot spot in the center). On the gas stove the boiling began on the edges of the pan and then moved to the center of the pan.



The cooking surface is heated only when the pot is present. The control system shuts down the element if a pot is not present or not large enough. The cooktop itself does not get hot at all, so nothing gets burned and baked on it and it is very easy to clean by just wiping with a wet cloth.



Not every cookware works with the induction tops. This is because induction works by electromagnetic induction. This means to work on the induction top the pots must be made out of magnetic metal such as cast iron, stainless steel, and enamelled iron. In addition the bottom of the pan has to flat and make contact with the surface of the cook top and not too small (larger than 4.75" in diameter).



What cookware does not work? Heat-resistant glass, ceramic, copper, aluminium because none of them are magnetic.



I was able to cook pancakes at a constant and lower temperature and I thought they came out better this way. For steak I set the cooktop to the maximum temperature and the highest wattage. I was able to get the cast iron pan very hot which, of course, is the key to searing meat. For fried chicken, I set the temperature to 370 degrees (which translate to 380 degrees on the cooktop display) and cook it on both sides for 5 minutes, then finish it in the baking oven for 20 minutes at 375 degrees. The chicken comes out very crispy.



The cooktop is not as precise or as accurate as I hoped, but it is consistent so this is not a deal breaker just requires adjustment by the cook to know how their cooktop behaves. Everyone learns what to expect from their oven so this is similar.



You can find it on Amazon by following this link.





AshopZones review ★★★★★